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XB-ART-18095
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1996 Jun 11;9312:6118-23. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.12.6118.
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A single residue in the M2-M3 loop is a major determinant of coupling between binding and gating in neuronal nicotinic receptors.

Campos-Caro A , Sala S , Ballesta JJ , Vicente-Agulló F , Criado M , Sala F .


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Binding of agonists to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors generates a sequence of changes that activate a cation-selective conductance. By measuring electrophysiological responses in chimeric alpha7/alpha3 receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes, we have showed the involvement of the M2-M3 loop in coupling agonist binding to the channel gate. An aspartate residue therein, Asp-266 in the alpha7 subunit, was identified by site-directed mutagenesis as crucial, since mutants at this position exhibited very poor functional responses to three different nicotinic agonists. We have extended this investigation to another neuronal nicotinic receptor (alpha3/beta4), and found that a homologous residue in the beta4 subunit, Asp-268, played a similar role in coupling. These findings are consistent with a hypothesis that the aspartate residue in the M2-M3 loop, which is conserved in all homomer-forming alpha-type subunits and all neuronal beta-type subunits that combine to form functional receptors, is a major determinant of information transmission from binding site to channel gate in all neuronal nicotinic receptors.

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References [+] :
Amin, GABAA receptor needs two homologous domains of the beta-subunit for activation by GABA but not by pentobarbital. 1993, Pubmed, Xenbase